Last Day....

This is it, the last day of my adventure in Mexico. I'm a little sad....

The last few days have been very domestic.  I've done school work, painted, exercised, swam, practiced my Spanish with lifeguards (a captive audience...), and walked a lot!

The beach here is very long (over 1 km?) and inviting to walk along.  There is also a long (over 1 km?) pedestrian mall with shops and restaurants all along it.  I've walked along both several times. My feet and legs are beat!

I've also been slighlty out of control on the pedestrian mall.  I bought 2 sun dresses and another painting! 

The sundresses have a bit of a funny story.  In a side street shop, there was a brown dress in my size and the same dress in green but too small.  I liked the green one more, but bought the brown one, cause it fit....Then, i saw the same green dress in another shop, in my size!  I took it, and other dresses into the fitting room, including a fun orange stripe dress.  I took the tag off the brown dress, in my shopping bag, which was in my shopping bag.  I came out, bought the orange stripe dress, and told the sales lady I bought the brown dress, in that shop, the day before, but that I prefferred the green dress.  Could I exchange it?  She said yes! Yeah!  Especially because the side street shop was charging way less for the dress!

Photos:
1) me in my new dress with a new friend...
2) the view from our balcony
3) Lorraine and i at Regina's, a cute tiny restaurant in our neighborhood

Tulum

We went to the Tulum ruins yesterday. 

Tulum isnt a big site, like the ruins at Chichenitza, which is a really big site with many buildings. But Tulum is the only Mayan city that was built on the ocean, very beautiful view from there!

Our guide explained that it is a walled city.  The elite, priests, matematicians, astronomers, etc, lived within the city walls.  The rest lived outside the walls.  The walls provided protection, of course, from potential enemies like other Mayan cities and from Spaniards etc.  The ocean side was also well protected.  The site was built on a cliff-another protection. And, it was protected by a reef.  Did you know that the reef that runs along the coast of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala is the second longest reef in the world?  Second to the "Great Barrier Reef".


We chose to go to Tulum for a couple of reasons.  It`s much closer than Chichenitza (1 hour vs 3 hour drive), and I`ve already been to Chichenitza.  And, I wanted to go back.  Wait, that doesn`t make sense.  Did I just say I`ve already been to Tulum too? 

Yes.  I did.  But about 25 years ago.  Back then, I was on a 1 week trip to Cozumel with a friend.  The divemaster i met asked us to go with him to Tulum on his day off.  Back then, there was nothing in Playa del Carmen, and you could climb the ruins at Tulum.  We had camped on the beach from which we could see the ruins in the full moon light.  Pretty cool! 

I had to go back.

Photos:
1) me on the beach at Tulum.  Not the spot we camped on, but as close as i could get...
2)  one of the fancier buildings at Tulum.  only the rich had stone walls.  it took 5 years to make the calcium carbonate to make the cement....
3) one of the current Tulum residents
4) me at one of the 5 openings in teh walls at Tulum

Bye Bye, Cozumel...

Today, we left Cozumel to come to Playa del Carmen.

It was a bit sad because i really liked it there.  The people at the Villa, my bicycle, and the place in general of course.  Although things started off a little tricky, i came to feel at home there.

But Playa del Carmen has a lot to offer too.  Our accomodation here is pretty swanky, which makes sense cause it cost a little more for 1 week here than it did for a whole month there!  It's much bigger, with a real bedroom, and two bathrooms!  And we're only 2 blocks from the beach.  and OMG what a beach! The water is a wonderful turquoise blue, the sand is soft and white, and it all goes on for a long long distance!

We've already found a good grocery store nearby, and some cute restaurants, and we swam in the ocean, again....

I don't have any photos from here yet, so here are a few more from Cozumel.


Photos:
1) a pizza delivery scooter, for Pizza Hut, of course!
2) i wonder what there was in that food to make all these dogs so sleepy...
3) cow camouflage

Yellow Submarine

So much going on!
My sister, Lorraine, arrived in Cozumel on Tuesday.  This is my excuse for not writing in the last day or so...It's changed my whole routine....

Lorraine was a real trooper on her first day here!  She had gotten up at 3 a.m. to fly here, but still found the energy to take in Carnaval that evening.  It was much like the first night of parade that i described, but more mayhem! We came back early.

Yesterday, we went in a submarine!  Very cool!  The whole thing went like this: arrive, get overview and safety briefing, get on boat and ride for about 15 minutes, transfer to submarine, descend to 100 feet, surface, back on boat and land. The highlights for me were seeing the surface of the water from beneath, knowing we were 100 feet underwater but in total comfort, and seeing the abyss from the edge of a reef wall.  The colours were very neat!  There were also colourful fish and a ray.

Today, was a restful day, our last in Cozumel.  We are going to Playa del Carmen/the mainland tomorrow for one week. We cycled around, shopped, hung out by the pool with other Villa guests, and had lion fish with Carl, a fitting end to this part of the trip.  But one of the coolest parts of today was buying a piece of art from an artist called Galo.

When we went into his shop, i noticed a painting on the wall that i really liked.  It was about 2'x3" and about $600.  After chatting for a while, i asked if he had something like that but smaller and less expensive.  There wasn't.  But he offerreed to reproduce the piece in a smaller size for a much smaller price, and to have it ready later in the day.  How cool is that!  I accepted and will be coming home with an original piece of art!

Photos:
1) Lorraine and I in front of the submarine.
2) lounging by the pool
3) my new painting!

Beach cleaning

It's been a few very busy days!

Right after my last post, i joined several people at the beach to learn how to paddle board.  It wasn't as hard as i thought!  I was pretty concerned about teh standing up part.  The rest is paddling, like my kayak.  Although , i never really felt comfortable standing, i didn't fall off either.  I paddled about 1 hour, even in waves left by a boat!

Yesterday, I joined the "Trashy Little Group" to do a beach clean up on the windy side of the island.  What a nice day!  First, it was totally ironic that i should be picking up garbage, given my career as Garbage Queen of Ottawa!  Then, i joined several of the clean-up crew for some food at a waterfront restaurant.  The windy side of the island has no electricity and only about 4 restaurants and no hotels.  But it's soooo beautiful! Then, i went to the only other town on the island.  The fellow i was with, Barry from Thunder Bay, wanted to check out a potential cycling trail. 

There was no trail to be found.  But, there was a small store with tonnes of karma.  We started by buying a pop each.  Then, as we chatted with teh owner, we saw a lovely courtyard, the owner's backyard.  Also, the area where he sculpts black coral and other semi-precious stones into jewelrey and ornaments. While in the courtyard, we asked about the fruit trees.  So he cut one up for us to taste (tasted like squash...) and told us all about how they have to dive 300 feet deep for the black coral (very dangerous).

Before the tour, i had bought a small black coral pendant (about $7) and asked about a really pretty green semi-precious stone/silver ($40). The store/man had so much karma, I decided to buy the green pendant.  The karma feel apart a little when he increased it's price to $80. But it all worked out, i got it for $40.  Likely could have got it for less, but they gotta make a living too.... 1) picking up garbage on
the beach 2) a black coral "plant" 3) Kevin and I at the beach front restaurant. a really interesting man! sold fish for a living.

Carnaval!

I went to the first Carnaval parade last night, what an event!

The parade runs up one side of the main street, turns around and comes back on the other side.  The total distance is 2-3 km.  Most people would consider that a good walk.  But these folks are doing it in high heels, shaking their booty all along, on stilts, etc.  Wow! that's a lot of stamina! Admittedly, they looked a little pooped at the end of the parade route....

The floats and costumes were really cool, lots of sparkels.  The people on many of the floats,all dressed up according to their theme, threw candies, beaded necklaces, and other trinkets to the crowds.  Some threw out confetti, others blew bubbles. There were also a couple of drumming groups, very cool sound.  Very New Orleans like.

Before, during, and after the parade, people hung out in the streets, drank, ate, and made merry.  Many were dressed up themselves with wigs, and sparkly costumes.

Apparently, there will be another parade tonight, then a break on Monday night, then the BIG one on Tuesday night.  Lorraine, I hope you'll be ready for the mayhem!

Photos:
1) the lion from Madagascar. Remember the half finished sculptures i showed you before?
2) Another Carnaval float, lots of little kids on them
3) Street meat during Carnaval, it was yummy!
4) the martians from Sesame street! it`s my cell phone ring tone!

Vacation Club Funny

This morning, I went to one of those vacation club sales pitch presentations.  Mostly I did it because Linda introduced me to these sales people, Dina and Marco, and  who she became friends with, and they pretty much begged me to go, so they could get a commission.  In exchange for my time, I received a discount on a submarine tour and a nice breakfast.

The breakfast was actually really good!  I had an omelet with spinach, mushrooms, onions, and a spicy sausage. And I believe that my discount will be honoured.  But I'm not sure the poor sales people will get their commission. 

In order to "qualify" for these presentation, you have to meet certain criteria, including earning a certain income and be staying on the island for no more than 2 weeks. Dina and Marco knew that i didn't meet either of these criteria, so they invented my information for me.  They told me which hotel I'm staying at, my arrival and departure date, my income, etc.  It's all a game.  They even have a deal with the hotel i was supposed to be staying at, so if the timeshare people call, the hotel will say "yes, she's a guest here".

It all went well until the end of the sales pitch at the timeshare place.  My main sales guy, Che, had no reason to doubt my story.  I think i lied pretty well.  But, when the "closer" came to try to convince me to buy, it was a different story.  The closer was a guy named Steve.  I had actually met him a couple of nights ago when I had the lion fish with Carl...When Steve saw me this morning, he didn't say a word about recognizinf me. But when I said "no, I'm not buying because my job is insecure", he said "I guess I believe you, i met another canadian who used to work for the government but she actually lost her job a
nd is now working part time and studying part time". 

I didn't admit that that person was me.  I kept to my story.  What could i do?  But, I think he knew....

Photos:
1) the equivalent of a chip truck.  only it's a bicycle and it's breakfast!
2) the view at sunset from the blue angel hotel.  non-guests are welcome to lounge by the pool and swim if they buy something to drink or eat.  they aren't pushy, it's not too far, it has a very pretty bathroom, so i like it there
3) my school work buddy

Lion fishy fish

I decided to be somewhat more adventurous today. I still did my schoolwork in the morning, but that was about it for responsibility.

Had a nice chat with my neighbours, who invited all residents of Villa Mar, our little "hotel" for homemade springrolls.  They were yummy!  Turns out, there's an "american" store where you can buy all things from home.  Including vietnames rice paper!

Then went to Casa Mission for lunch with Carl.  For 450 pesos, about $4, you can get the "set lunch" which includes a lemonade, a soup, and meal with tortillas.  That's pretty cool in itself.  But more cool is that the place is beautiful!  Dinner there can be a more pricey affair....

Then off to the the "Blue Angel" hotel pool with Carl.  It was very leisurely!  I swam (fairly hard actually), and chatted with Carl, Catherine, etc., and generally relaxed. 

Then dinner again with Carl.  You're probably thinking that's a lot of Carl time.  It was.  But i invited myself to dinner, at his favourite place, Casa del Indio.  It's definitely not fancy, but it has lots of karma.  Why invite myself?  Because he told me that Indio was gonna serve him lion fish for dinner.  That is one crazy looking fish! And i'd heard a lot about it!  Turns out it's not from Cozumel and is an invasive species.  It's dangerous for divers.  Touch it's fins/appendages and your body part will swell and hurt for several days!  Divers are spearing them and feeding them, minus the fins/appendages, to groupers, nurse sharks, and other potential predators, to see if they can develop an immunity to the sting and a taste for them.  There are no natural predators now, and the lion fish are eating up too many little fish of every kind.

Turns out lion fish is pretty tasty!  The tail was still attached to mine, so i was sure that's what i was eating.  But there was no sting.  Fresh fish, rice, salad, and pop - about $8, including generous tip. Thanks for the cool experience Carl!

Photos:
1) Casa de Mission and me
2) MY lion fish
3) a lion fish (from Google)

Snorkelling

Yesterday i went on an official snorkelling trip.  I was pretty excited because we were going to 3 of the most promising sites on the island, and the island is a great snorkelling destination!  And the company i went with came highly recommended, i think it's called mystic adventures.

There were some pretty cool parts! 
The boat ride was a very nice way to see the island differently.

We started snorkelling in an area called "sky" because of the colour of the water, a beautiful turquoise!  There, the highlights were the starfish.  They were in the sandy areas, about 15 in all.  The water was shallow enough that we could go to the bottom, and were allowed to pick them up, but not take them out of the water, they are alive. The one i had in my hand was a bright orange.  Very cool!

Then, we went to "Columbia shallow". The shallow part of a big reef that goes to 100' plus.  It was pretty neat.  The coral was varied and we saw a couple of turtles and sting rays, and several fish, including parrot fish, my favourite.  But by then end of that part, i was soooooo cold!  The reef has a strong current, so all you do is drift. No work required, no heat generated...

Then we went to "palancar" reef.  I was so cold, that i didn't go in the water.  Which is ok because visibility was poor and everyone got out after only about 5 minutes.  Because were were promised 3 snorkelling sites, we then stopped at "Casablanca".  Not much to see.  I swam against teh current to get/stay warm.

Unfortunately, i've been spoiled though.  I scuba dove here, in Cozumel about 20 years ago.  It was amazing!!!!!!The schools of colourful fish blew me away!  Unfortunately, fishing and several hurricanes have reduced their populations.  So although there are some fish, and they are very pretty.  It just isn't the same....

Photos (not mine, from Trip Advisor and google):
1) a stingray, much like the ones we saw.  about 3' wide.
2) a starfish just like the one i had in my hand
3)  a parrot fish, like the ones i saw

Water and Food

Hola!

Today was pretty domestic.  It poured rain most of the morning, so I did lots of school work.  Normally, i sit at a plastic patio table outside under a porch to do my work.  That gives me a breeze and shade, which is good for reading, and protects me from the rain showers we've been having.  But it rained so hard today, i had to move my office indoors....

The weather cleared this afternoon, so i biked to my favourite "non-beach club" beach.  About 4 km from here, on the North end of the island.  It actually has a very nice patch of sand and a big pier.  Once when standing on the pier, i saw several "needle fish".  Long skinny fish about 2' long, with long skinny noses, about 1' long.  Very neat!

Today, the wind was very strong and it was cool.  So i didn't go into the water.  But many kids did and had a blast playing in the big waves/surf. (Biking there was really hard, coming back was easy breezy!)

On my way back, i went to the grocery store for food.  I always find it so neat to see how similar our stores are, and how different. 

Photos: 1) the kids playing in the surf near the pier at my non-beach club beach, notice the crashing wave on the pier
2)and 3) grocery store stuff, notice the text!
4
) I have not brought or bought butter or peanut butter.  I had soft boiled eggs with toast-yum!  I had toast left and wanted something on it.  Sweetened condensed milk, yum-yum!!!  In the cutest little pop top tins....

Money Bar

I ventured into new territory yesterday.  I bicycled to a beach club called "Money Bar" on the South side of the Island.  

Why go to a place with such a "yucky" name?  Because there are very few beaches or places you can enter the water, especially without shredding your feet to bits, because most of the waterfront is coral and rock.   The few sandy places/good water entry points that exist, have "beach clubs" on them. And yesterday, I was looking for a bit of "luxury". And "Money Bar" is world famous, didn't you know?!

It was a nice bike ride.  About 7 km each way. 

The beach club was nice, despite it's conspicuous name.  It has a nice restaurant, beach chairs, tables/chairs, bathrooms, outdoor showers, and sand! 

There, I swam, ate, rested, and chatted with various people.  While swimming, I saw several pretty fish and a little bit of coral.  According to some, i would have seem more had i swam out further from the beach.  The meal i had was the 1st "fancy" meal i've had since beeing here - a fish filet with salad.

Note: I swam first, then ate. I was a bit concerned about the karma of eating fish then swimming with them....

That reminds me, I also swam at a restaurant/dock called "No Name" the other day.  It's popular with ship crew.  The swimming was crappy, way too close to several docks and boats.  But, while swimming there, I saw a sting ray!  It was about 4' wide and it's tail looked about 3' long.  VERY cool!

Photos: 1) my fancy lunch at "Money Bar"
2) the view from my dinner table at Money Bar
3) some art on a wall on the way to Money Bar!  this is only one section of a larger mural

Colour despite the weather

Yesterday was an "indoor" day.  There was a wind/system/ called "el norte" that brought rain, cool temperatures, and wind to Cozumel.  So I started my day like most, with a few hours of school work.  It's not all fun and games you know!

Then I headed out to downtown, with my raincoat and trusty bike.  It was a nice afternoon after all.  On my way downtown, i saw a man working on some sculptures for Carnival.  He was kind enough to take some time to explain his process to me.  He uses garbage for the frame!  Yep, whatever is hanging around.  Construction waste like pvc pipe for legs, arms and necks, bagged garbage for bodies, etc.  He makes sure there isn't anything organic inside so it won't rot.  A discerning garbage man!

Then he covers them with fibreglass if they're gonna be a "permanent" sculpture, or just with glue and brown paper if they're more temporary.  If he's not in a rush, he uses flour and water for glue - very cheap, but takes a long time to dry.  Or white glue and water - faster but more expensive.

Then he paints them and puts on the glitter.  There's a lot of glitter for Carnival!!!

Then i did a bit of  window shopping and went to the Cozumel Museum.  That was interesting too.  It told the geologic and human history of the island, and spoke about the importance of conservation and sustainable development.  Nice to know that there's an awareness and effort to keep this place beautiful.

Unfortunately, "el norte" is expected to last today and tomorrow also. So more  homework, that's OK.  It needs to get done.  But its a bit frustrating cause i wanna go swim!

Photos: 1) the sculptor and his work - The sculpture on the ground is "pumba" from the Madascar movie. On the right is the lion minus his head, and on the left are the legs for the giraffe. 2)a completed? lighthouse sculpture and the zebra from Madagascar 3) a completed samurai in front of a Sushi place downtown
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